Latest / United We Scan / Trial by Fire Q & A Part 1

Transcript

Trial by Fire Q & A Part 1 · United We Scan

• 0:17
  Welcome to the United We Scan Podcast, the podcast by rural
• 0:21
  carriers. For rural carriers, the views
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  expressed in this podcast do not reflect the views or opinions of
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  the United States Postal Service or the National Rural Letter
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• 0:56
  Thank you. Now here are the hosts of the
• 1:00
  United We Scan podcast. Welcome back everybody.
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  Episode 59, we are going to do our trial by fire question and
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  answer tonight. For those of you that have
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  submitted questions to the three of us that are running for
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  national office and we are going to get to those tonight 1st we
• 1:24
  have some announcements to make and but we will start off with
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  our normal Rigamar. How was your week, Josh?
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  My week wasn't too bad, Nothing that I can remember to complain
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  about, so I guess we'll leave it at that.
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  Weather's finally not frigid, so that's a beautiful thing.
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  I think your idea of frigid and my idea of frigid are completely
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  different, but yeah. I agree his idea of frigid is
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  completely different from ours. I know your idea of frigid of
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  not being frigid is above freezing.
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  I I get it. Yes, you know 40° is shorts and
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  flip flops. Weather for us?
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  Yeah, it gets above freezing and I take the window guard off the
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  LLV. Yeah.
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  Yeah, exactly so, but my week was OK.
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  It was going pretty smoothly until I got to Friday and we had
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  the monthly shopper every box delivery and I had an entire DPS
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  tray of second run DPS. So it wasn't fully in order, but
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  it was in clumps. So I had.
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  I took it over to my supervisor and went I need 8127 time for
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  this. He's like leave it here, I'll
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  make it disappear. I'm like sweet, OK when I went
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  doing my thing started pulling down and he brings it over and
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  goes, just we got to take it today and I said I tell you
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  what, you put it in order and I'll take it out and take it on
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  the side. Well, he was standing in my case
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  and then he gave up and he's like, I don't know your case, so
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  I can't do it. So I ended up getting 25 minutes
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  of 8127 time to case a full tray of next.
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  Next up, DPS took it on the side and still got back by 4:30,
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  which was just a little over my evaluation, but I was happy with
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  that and got 25 minutes of 8127 time.
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  So I can't complain too much, but other than that, that's been
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  my week. How about you, Bill?
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  Oh, I'm wondering where all the packages went.
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  I mean, you're used to doing 200 plus scans a day and now you're
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  doing 110 and 125. Something's hinky in the system.
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  You know, EPS is light, flats are light, parcels are light.
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  It's almost like they know many mail surveys coming, but that's
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  just me being paranoid and that's kept me alive to this
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  point. Weather has has, you know,
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  settled down a bit and you know, looking forward to some nice 40°
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  days. It's, you know, not flip flop
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  weather, but you know, it's definitely not wearing a polar
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  outfit either. So I'm just, I'm looking forward
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  to SWAC and I'm anticipating, you know, what kind of reception
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  we get there and what we can, you know, basically feel out in
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  regards to people's responses to our, you know, nominations for,
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  you know, for the national office.
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  And other than that, how was your week, Kristen?
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  I have to agree with you. Where did all the parcels go?
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  I think I was under 100 for pretty much almost all week.
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  It was really weird. I mean I for the exceptions.
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  Of I think they came to me because we've been swimming in
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  parcels this past week. Glad your turn, Josh.
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  Yes. When, you know when I'm normally
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  getting out of the office between 10:00 and 10:30, and I
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  was out Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.
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  I was out anywhere between 8:00 after 9:00 and 9:45 hitting the
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  street. Yeah, that's been Saturday.
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  Yesterday I got out kind of late just because we had to go pick
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  up the LLB from the shop because it went in to get diagnosed.
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  After the Fix It ticket I filled out back in November, they
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  finally took it in to take a look at it.
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  So but the Fix It ticket for the other truck with the jump seat
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  that still needs to be addressed 'cause you know when you push on
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  the gas pedal and the truck's supposed to move, this one would
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  make it feel like you're spinning tires on ice before
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  they get grip. So I dropped that puppy down
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  into first and 2nd gear manually.
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  Yeah, first and 2nd gear stripped.
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  So hopefully something happens because I don't want that truck
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  to die on me as I have 3 Rcas to train over this next month.
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  But other than that, yeah, it was.
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  It's been really light all week for me too, for the most part.
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  I or R1 RCA who's doing really good.
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  Finally, they'd gave him no help Friday and Saturday because
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  before they were at least having the ox wannabe carrier take
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  large parcels, some off him for him.
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  But they didn't do that Friday or Saturday and he did really
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  good. In fact, he got back shortly
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  after I did Friday and I was back out at the truck and he
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  come up and he's like, I made it back at 3:15.
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  He was thrilled. And Saturday we were leaving
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  about the same time. And I said, all right, race you
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  back. We'll see who gets back first.
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  Just just playing with him, you know, just getting him to laugh.
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  And he beat me back. I pulled in and walked back in
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  the office said you beat me back.
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  He's like, yeah, I did. He so, you know, just having fun
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  with the with the kid who's who's getting it.
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  So it's, I don't know, my week has been that's about it.
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  I did get my other daughter this weekend.
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  I haven't seen her since Christmas time.
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  Honestly. The week after Christmas was the
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  last time I saw her. Went and picked her up Friday
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  after work and took her back. Met up with her dad this
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  afternoon. Yeah, I don't know.
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  Not much else going on. I've been pretty, pretty quiet
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  around here. James, I heard you had an
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  announcement to make, you were saying.
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  We've announced that we're coming to SWAC already, but I
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  wanted to give an announcement to everybody here to pay
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  attention to our national leadership because the
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  information that we got out of fact that our national
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  leadership was talking about has been exactly the same things
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  we've been talking about on this podcast.
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  They have copied a lot of the information that we've been
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  giving and are going to be using that as part of their campaign
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  fodder for people to elect them. Now that we're going to be doing
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  the Q&A here with our answers to questions that are asked here,
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  there's probably going to be more fodder that they're going
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  to be using. So anybody and everybody that's
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  listening to this, please open your eyes.
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  Pay attention because a lot of people are paying attention and
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  our National Board has used it in SAC and they even used points
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  from this podcast during their last training seminar for
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  stewards where they trained them supposedly on the current social
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  media policy that the National World Letter Carriers
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  Association has. So pay attention to what's going
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  on. One of the big phrases that they
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  actually used was non dues paying members and that was one
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  phrase that was never used by them before.
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  So just pay attention to what they're saying.
• 9:37
  That's a good point. Keep the ears perked.
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  Keep in mind, where you here at first, Bill?
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  You got anything to say about that?
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  Oh, it sounds like he's implying that they can't have an original
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  thought. And it also sounds like that
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  they're actually listening to us to get their own thoughts.
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  It's possible. I mean, you're saying they're
• 9:58
  using instead of listening to the craft like they should be.
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  They're listening to a podcast. Because we listen to the craft,
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  yeah. We talked to the craft members.
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  We. We they reach out to them.
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  They reach out to us. Hello.
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  Hello. Am I surprised?
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  By the way, I. Don't know.
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  By the way, the the post, the post I put on there for the
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  host, I forgot to actually hit the send so it's up there now.
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  Oh God, no. Technology.
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  Any technology. I'm telling you, you know who
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  knew you had to hit the send button?
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  I've been there before. My wife will be like, why didn't
• 10:55
  you text me to let me know that you're on your way?
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  I'm like I did see. I didn't break it.
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  While I'm standing. I hit send real quick, OK?
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  Well, just just to reiterate, if you want Bill, don't text him,
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  call him. Yes, texting him gets you
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  nowhere. Trust me.
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  It. Is it's even difficult to get a
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  hold of him on Discord? Yeah, you're kidding.
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  You have a better chance of actually texting him than you do
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  messaging him on Discord. Yep, Yep, Yep.
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  No, but you're guaranteed to get him if you call him.
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  So this I know, yeah. Yeah, if the phone rings, I
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  answer it. OK.
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  But when I hear those Dings, Dings, Dings all damn day, guess
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  what? Yeah.
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  Bite me, big boy. I think that was one of the
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  reasons why I got my watch, because my phone Dings so much
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  and I didn't want to look at my as I just flipped my wrist up.
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  Nope, not important. OK.
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  Oh yeah, I'll get to them when I stop next time, OK?
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  Yeah. OK.
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  So most of the questions are for all three of you.
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  I'm going to read the question and we'll go in order of
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  precedence of position. So we'll go Bill, Kristen, then
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  James for answering. Unless I specifically tell you
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  it's for one one of you specifically, and then I will
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  give the other two an opportunity.
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  If they would like to address that same question, you will
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  have approximately 2 1/2 minutes for each question.
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  That'll give you about 30 seconds to think about and
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  compose your answer and two minutes to actually answer.
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  Fair enough. And Are you ready?
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  Practice my answers. I don't know.
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  Let me look into it. I'll get back to you.
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  You can do whatever you would like.
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  Have my secretary take down your information.
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  Your secretary has left the building for the day.
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  OK. All right, let's go.
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  All right, first question, why have each of you decided to run
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  for the specific position you're running for?
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  Oh, OK, For myself, Bill, I'm running for president because
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  I'm an alpha, OK? I I don't like to follow.
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  Especially when you're following people you don't believe in and
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  you don't have faith in and you don't believe that they're
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  putting the craft's interests above their own.
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  I'm running because of the fact that I am sick and tired of
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  seeing this craft manipulated, tortured, humiliated and
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  threatened without any recourse from the union, the national
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  steward system every day by management who doesn't even know
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  the contract. And I'm tired of people putting
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  their lives on the line because of the fact that management
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  intimidates them into making bad decisions as the aforementioned
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  individual before the podcast started.
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  And I don't believe there's enough people out there that
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  have faith in the Union anymore, and I want to restore that
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  faith. Kirsten.
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  I am running for this position for Vice president because well,
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  number one, labor ain't my gig. I I am familiar with some and I
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  will learn. I am always up for learning.
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  However, Vice President is second in command.
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  They're the ones, the the sitting next to the president at
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  the table. They're the backup to the
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  president. Vice president also handles
• 15:27
  editing of the newsletter or excuse me, the magazine.
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  The magazine that comes out, Vice president is editor of
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  that. I think we need some newer
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  material. I mean there are several
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  instances of the seasons that is literally a cut and paste of
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  previous articles that have been word for word that have been out
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  in the past. I think we need to use the
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  national magazine as a communications tool and talk
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  about, I mean we there are some good, good stuff in there, don't
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  get me wrong, but I I think we can do better with it.
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  RCA Academy is also a big one for the vice president and we
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  all know how I feel about Rcas in training and how much we
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  could do better for the Rcas and newer regulars.
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  I mean, that's also been up there too.
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  But I think Rcas, we can train them better, we can teach them
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  better, we can get them on board better.
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  And I think for my personal level of commitment, thank you,
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  my personal level of commitment to this craft and being active
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  from day one, I think the vice presidency at this time would
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  suit me better to be able to do that and back up and sit next to
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  the president. OK, James.
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  So I ran for Director Stewart Operations at the last National
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  Convention because a lot of people asked me to step up and
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  help the craft. And throughout this past year
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  and a half that I've been working with you guys on this
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  podcast and being in front of carriers on social media, I have
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  received a lot of notifications from carriers that are having
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  issues within the steward system.
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  And I believe that the Steward system is the most important
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  part of this craft to be able to protect it.
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  You have your AD Rs, your D Rs, your area stewards, your local
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  stewards. Those are the very first people
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  that any craft member has in contact when it comes to the
• 18:11
  leadership of this union. They are the ambassadors for
• 18:15
  this leadership and to have AD Rs and D Rs who aren't getting
• 18:23
  back to carriers, area stewards, local stewards who are using the
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  system and abusing the system against carriers, working with
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  management, things like that. There are spots that need to be
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  cleaned up. No, I'm not knocking AD Rs and D
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  Rs that do a spectacular job, or local storage or area stores
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  that defend carriers like crazy. But the biggest part of this is
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  everybody has to be on the same page.
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  And looking at the schedule that our leadership has put out for
• 18:56
  steward enhancement trainings, I don't think they're focusing on
• 19:00
  the right areas for the stewards to learn something because we
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  should be focusing on the important issues that are
• 19:08
  occurring today in the craft. And that is the constant hostile
• 19:13
  work environments and harassment that carriers are receiving and
• 19:17
  then the retaliation that they are receiving after they file
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  for seconds. So the biggest part for me would
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  be to get everything lined up in line and every single carrier
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  taken care of and protected from the harassment and hostile work
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  environment that they're receiving through the storage
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  system. OK, next question.
• 19:46
  Why does one have to be present at the National Convention to
• 19:50
  vote for national officers instead of voting by mail?
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  Bill, Currently our Constitution mandates that you have to be a
• 20:02
  elected delegate to the National Convention and be a member in
• 20:08
  good standing to attend. And vote.
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  It's a one person one vote only for the delegates which are
• 20:16
  elected by your your state. In the previous couple magazines
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  that we have received from the national board, there were forms
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  in there to, you know, nominate people to be delegates and you
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  can self nominate. And it also has a corresponding
• 20:32
  page with the addresses that you send it to.
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  I had seen or somebody said, Oh no, you have to get a hold of
• 20:39
  your state secretary or Trench. Now it's all in the national
• 20:43
  magazine and you can nominate self nominate.
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  Now in light of that, if you have a state with 44 delegates
• 20:51
  available to attend the National Convention, that does not mean
• 20:55
  you have to vote for all 44. It does not mean you have to
• 20:58
  vote for state officers or NSS officers.
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  It is. You can vote for whoever you
• 21:05
  want to and the four to people who you think specifically
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  reflect your views in regards to the direction that this Union
• 21:13
  should go. I was going to what what Bill
• 21:16
  said it was true. Yeah.
• 21:18
  It is by a delegation vote according to our constitution.
• 21:22
  I was going to add in order to change that would take a binding
• 21:26
  resolution or a constitutional change resolution and get it
• 21:31
  passed all the way through up the chain.
• 21:34
  Now constitutional changes would not take effect until the
• 21:39
  following year. Am I correct on that bill?
• 21:41
  Yes. OK, so constitution.
• 21:44
  So if we were to put, let's say somebody put a resolution up for
• 21:49
  to go in with mail in ballots for national elections.
• 21:54
  Hence like the city care union does and the ALC does and it did
• 22:00
  pass all the way through up at National Convention, it would
• 22:04
  not take effect until 2025. Constitutional changes take one
• 22:12
  full year for before they actually go into effect.
• 22:16
  But yeah, what Bill stated was true on that and that is why we
• 22:19
  do not have mail in elections for national officers.
• 22:22
  It is done by delegation only. Ames.
• 22:34
  I have to agree with both of them on that and Kristen is
• 22:37
  right. You have to submit a binding
• 22:40
  resolution at your lowest level meeting that you can submit
• 22:45
  resolutions at, whether it be your county or regional meetings
• 22:49
  in your area or even your state meeting, your state convention
• 22:57
  convention, your state convention.
• 22:58
  Thank you. So you would have to submit it
• 23:03
  then and it would have to be approved by the delegation at
• 23:06
  your lowest level and then move on to national where it would
• 23:10
  have to be approved. And the only way to get
• 23:13
  something like that one approved would to be to elect a
• 23:18
  delegation that would support that.
• 23:22
  That's why we have been telling everybody that you need to
• 23:26
  select the delegation that you believe best supports this craft
• 23:33
  when you get your delegate ballots.
• 23:36
  Because the only way to make a significant change from the day
• 23:42
  in, day out usual that we've had for the past decade or more is
• 23:48
  to turn around and elect new delegates that aren't the same
• 23:52
  old, same old up on onto the board.
• 23:55
  So that way they can choose resolutions that support the
• 23:59
  craft and then they take effect at the next National Convention.
• 24:08
  OK. As the last of the hard
• 24:11
  questions, what will be the first thing that you will try
• 24:18
  and change if you are elected Bill?
• 24:24
  Oh Lord, oh shit. I think the first thing I would
• 24:32
  like to change is the put an automatic suspension of Rex
• 24:37
  implementation and route cuts from the get go.
• 24:45
  We're hearing about the the route adjustments coming up
• 24:47
  here, possibly March and April. You know, let's hope not.
• 24:52
  Let's hope they run into another boondoggle, but that that would
• 24:56
  be one of the first things I would do.
• 25:00
  Next thing I would do would be, you know, with James's help as
• 25:04
  Director of Stewart operation to get the NSS aligned with their
• 25:10
  responsibilities of protecting the craft.
• 25:15
  There are a lot of good local area ADRDRS across the country.
• 25:20
  Unfortunately, there are some that are not so favorably looked
• 25:24
  upon that cast dispersion on the National steward system.
• 25:29
  And that's critical because that's the first line of defense
• 25:32
  that our craft needs to be present every day in every
• 25:38
  office. And unfortunately it it appears
• 25:41
  that that is lacking horrendously across the country.
• 25:48
  I think after that then we then we we started addressing the the
• 25:51
  contract issues especially table two and Table 4 PT FS positions
• 25:58
  for Rcas after two years of service or 2080 hours.
• 26:03
  No, no more of this. You know I've been ARCA for
• 26:07
  eight years now. Once you make that commitment of
• 26:09
  2080 hours or two years, guess what?
• 26:13
  For PTF, let's let's elevate these people into a position of
• 26:21
  profitability to maintain a lifestyle of mortgage, a car
• 26:25
  payment, car repairs, you know, medical bills.
• 26:29
  Because, you know, right now they're they're basically living
• 26:32
  on the edge of poverty level, Kristen.
• 26:37
  Oh well, I would have to back up Bill on the on some of his
• 26:43
  points there. Another thing I would do would
• 26:47
  definitely would be looking in and gearing up with the Academy
• 26:53
  training, making sure that every Academy has the equipment and
• 27:01
  supplies that they need. That way they're not sharing
• 27:05
  scanners. They have the cases available.
• 27:09
  Come on, people, we have all these S&D CS and P&D CS that are
• 27:13
  consolidating. They got brand new equipment,
• 27:15
  all that old equipment in these offices are getting thrown away.
• 27:18
  Why can't that be redirected to some of these Academy locations
• 27:23
  that are lacking the equipment that I think would be probably
• 27:28
  one of the number ones. You can't.
• 27:31
  You can't train a brand new employee, a brand new RCA if you
• 27:35
  don't have the proper equipment. I think that would be probably
• 27:39
  one of my first things I do is look into making sure Academies
• 27:43
  had the equipment they need to succeed James.
• 27:48
  Oh, to go along with everything that everybody else has said,
• 27:52
  the very, very first thing I'm going to do is I'm going to
• 27:55
  mandate that any steward filing grievances, if they have
• 28:02
  specific language for the grievance that has already been
• 28:06
  settled, whether it be a step four or it be a grievance
• 28:10
  they've already filed or it's contractual language that
• 28:15
  they're violating, we are no longer going to just settle for
• 28:19
  language because settling for language is a cop out.
• 28:25
  You are letting management walk over you by saying bad boy,
• 28:31
  don't do it again. It's OK.
• 28:33
  You made a mistake. It was an error.
• 28:36
  You can fix it. No, they made the mistake.
• 28:40
  They should know the language. They should know the contract.
• 28:43
  They should know the M38. They should know every policy
• 28:48
  and procedure to handle rural carriers.
• 28:51
  This It's not my fault. I was told to do it by the POOM
• 28:55
  is not going to fly anymore under my stewardship.
• 28:58
  As the Director of Steward Operations, Management needs to
• 29:02
  stop violating everything they can to make us act like city
• 29:08
  carriers. We are not city carriers.
• 29:10
  We don't have set office leave times.
• 29:13
  We don't have to use the load truck feature.
• 29:18
  We don't have to take DPS to the street.
• 29:22
  Settling for language is the very first thing I would get rid
• 29:27
  of for most things and require it to be passed up the chain to
• 29:33
  national for proper language on a usable Step 4, because that is
• 29:43
  the only place where a nationally recognized language
• 29:47
  can be settled. And if I may interject there,
• 29:50
  please don't anybody misconstrue James's comment about us not
• 29:55
  having set times. We do have established times
• 29:59
  which are flexible based on the volume of mail, but we are not
• 30:03
  city carriers where we're in at 8, we're at it at 9:15, OK,
• 30:09
  every day. It's based on the volume mail.
• 30:12
  And you know, we work on an evaluated basis which goes over
• 30:16
  a weekly period, not on a daily basis.
• 30:19
  So please don't anybody misconstrue what he said or if
• 30:23
  you didn't understand what he meant.
• 30:25
  Correct. I was.
• 30:26
  I was talking about a situation in my office where I was we were
• 30:31
  all told that we all had to be out of the office by 10:00 AM.
• 30:36
  The time on my timesheet for my average volume of mail is 10/16
• 30:45
  and then the M38 and the PO6O3 say I have a 20 minute variant
• 30:52
  on that of normal mail volume. So that is my average volume
• 30:56
  that I was evaluated by Rex. So if my volume is higher than
• 31:01
  that, my time is going to be later, my volumes lower than
• 31:04
  that, my time is going to be earlier than that supposedly.
• 31:07
  The next question is addressed to Kristen.
• 31:11
  Since becoming a regular, how do you perceive the future of a
• 31:15
  regular carrier job to be a job that an RCA would be willing to
• 31:21
  wait out to get for five or plus years?
• 31:27
  Well, honestly, and in my short time as being a regular, did I,
• 31:34
  you know, I waited in that median.
• 31:36
  I mean, I know of a lot of carriers who waited a lot longer
• 31:41
  than I did and I waited just under nine years.
• 31:44
  I know of a lot of carriers that went regular right after 12
• 31:48
  months. I it's just I think the waiting
• 31:55
  it out and seeing that light at the end of the tunnel that Rcas
• 31:59
  that are committed to staying and want to do this job and
• 32:02
  enjoy doing this job and love doing this job as much as I do.
• 32:06
  And the rest of my hosts here to stay on to that and let me tell
• 32:11
  you, only running running 1 route the same route a day is
• 32:16
  #1. Getting you know, having
• 32:19
  establishing that relationship with your customers that you
• 32:23
  have on a daily basis is is just awesome.
• 32:27
  I, you know, for example, I had one Saturday saying are you been
• 32:31
  working six days a week? I said, honey, I've been working
• 32:34
  six days a week for years. But yeah, I said I've been
• 32:37
  working six days a week since I took this route over in
• 32:39
  September and officially, you know, regular in November.
• 32:43
  She's like, Oh my, you know, she was worried about me because she
• 32:46
  sees me six days a week. You know, your retirement
• 32:50
  benefits, yes, your your deductions are are a lot higher.
• 32:55
  I, you know, $1100 out of my check a week, but that's towards
• 33:00
  my eventual retirement in the future.
• 33:02
  That's my pension. That's my TSP, that's my life
• 33:05
  insurance to make sure things are taken care of in the event
• 33:08
  something happens to me. And that's ensure, you know,
• 33:12
  awesome insurance and I'm going to plug real carrier benefit
• 33:15
  plan making sure myself and my kids are taken care of, you
• 33:18
  know, with health needs and you know the the perks of being a
• 33:23
  regular and weighing it out. I mean they're there and it's,
• 33:28
  you know, a lot of them may not see that because they're
• 33:31
  getting, they're getting ran over by a management and they
• 33:35
  just can't take it anymore. But honestly, once you get
• 33:39
  there, it it's it's a totally different world in a in a way,
• 33:44
  yes, you're doing the same job, but you're running that same
• 33:47
  route. You're building those
• 33:48
  relationships with your customers and you're getting
• 33:50
  yourself set up for your retirement.
• 33:53
  I'm. Done.
• 33:53
  Did either the two of you want to address that or you're good?
• 33:58
  The changing format of the of the industry in regards to you
• 34:02
  know traversing to parcels more than mail.
• 34:06
  We we still have the you know responsibility of of maintaining
• 34:10
  the sanctity of the mail. And we got that in the service
• 34:13
  talk the other day And now I I I didn't throw up, but I I did
• 34:18
  hold it back because of the fact that you know when you see
• 34:22
  routes being you know left behind delivered the parcels and
• 34:26
  not the mail. And in the mail is is somebody's
• 34:29
  business check or somebody's unemployment check or you know
• 34:33
  any type of you know money or funds that are that are in the
• 34:36
  mail. And I I laugh is that you know
• 34:40
  we're the guardians of every customer's personal information,
• 34:44
  their Social Security statements their credit cards and
• 34:47
  everything else. And I I try to imbibe this into
• 34:53
  the Subs that I've trained and the ones that I have trained and
• 34:57
  and mentored and I mean mentored for three years after you know,
• 35:02
  they they've, you know, left my route per southeast is that, you
• 35:05
  know do the job the best you can.
• 35:09
  You know there are shortcuts to make you faster, but there are
• 35:12
  no shortcuts to make you better. If if you don't do a good job,
• 35:17
  if you don't take pride in doing that job correctly, officially,
• 35:21
  efficiently, then you know this isn't the job for you.
• 35:25
  That Kristen's right. I mean, once you're a regular
• 35:28
  and you have your own route, you have for the community that is
• 35:32
  now yours, you don't just deliver the mail.
• 35:35
  You look out for the kids, the dogs, the elderly, for house
• 35:40
  fires, for car accidents. And there's a there's such a
• 35:44
  great satisfaction. I dread going into the office
• 35:48
  and I love going out in the street.
• 35:49
  So if you know you're into the service aspect of it, trust me,
• 35:54
  this is more than rewarding. I completely agree with both
• 35:59
  Kristen and Bill on this. Becoming a regular at this,
• 36:03
  becoming a regular at this is the penultuous thing you can do
• 36:09
  as a rural carrier. Your customers become your
• 36:13
  friends. You get sad when you see them
• 36:15
  move or one of them passes away. You're happy to see them every
• 36:20
  day. When they come out and talk to
• 36:21
  you, you know they, some of them come out and give cookies or
• 36:25
  bring you a drink on the route on a hot day, like very cold
• 36:28
  water. It's really nice to have things
• 36:31
  like that. And not only are you taking care
• 36:34
  of your customers, they're watching out for you too.
• 36:39
  And it's the most rewarding experience ever out of any job
• 36:43
  I've had. This is the one that I love the
• 36:47
  most because of how people view the rural carriers, how they
• 36:55
  treat us, because we literally deliver a lot of the important
• 37:00
  things to their lives. Not only they're mail, but we
• 37:04
  deliver their medications, we deliver their loved ones as
• 37:08
  cremated remains. They trust us with these things,
• 37:14
  and the retirement after you get done is still one of the best
• 37:20
  ones out there. Out of any careers that you can
• 37:23
  have, considering the union that we're behind and the steward
• 37:29
  system can be the ultimate tool to protect us through this whole
• 37:36
  resource. The next question is addressed
• 37:40
  to James. How is it possible to run 10
• 37:44
  overburdened routes with five carriers?
• 37:51
  It's not possible because you're talking about working carriers
• 37:56
  over 12 hours every day and that is a violation and they should
• 38:04
  be looking for relief carriers in within the area to come help
• 38:09
  out and cover those routes. But also we need to find a way
• 38:14
  to properly cut these routes and I put a resolution up for a vote
• 38:22
  for them to turn around and use carriers to decide what should
• 38:28
  be cut off the route. Because carriers know their
• 38:31
  routes the best and can say if I cut off these boxes here that
• 38:35
  are close to this route and we move it over to the the aux
• 38:38
  route or something like that, I can bring my route down to A43K
• 38:43
  just based on the volume that I get.
• 38:46
  But they won't listen to us when it comes to route cuts.
• 38:48
  They want to use a computer system to figure it out and
• 38:51
  things like that. But you have the greatest
• 38:54
  resource possible in the carriers that run that route
• 38:58
  every day who could help you figure out what to take off.
• 39:02
  And they could turn around and use the original system they
• 39:05
  were using, the four Rex came into effect to make those cuts
• 39:10
  happen, but they won't. They decided we're going to use
• 39:13
  this new system and that's the only way we're going to do that.
• 39:15
  In the meantime, we're going to do it off the backs of the
• 39:19
  carriers. These overburdened routes are
• 39:21
  literally free work for the Postal Service that management
• 39:26
  and our leadership really aren't complaining about too much.
• 39:37
  Christian or Bill, did you want to address it or?
• 39:43
  Physically possible for to do? Absolutely not.
• 39:47
  I, you know, this is where management really needs to
• 39:53
  actually manage their offices and not just take orders from
• 39:56
  above on what to do. This is where they need to hire
• 40:01
  and retain with emphasis on retain because that is the
• 40:08
  biggest thing. It is not physically possible.
• 40:12
  And I'm going to tell you, you know a lot of carriers right now
• 40:16
  with the MOU may volunteer, but at MOU goes away, those routes
• 40:23
  are still not going to get because you can't volunteer as a
• 40:26
  regular carrier. And good luck, because the Rcas
• 40:30
  in the area will hear about what's going on in a nearby
• 40:33
  office. And a lot of them, if they come
• 40:37
  up once, they may not do it again.
• 40:40
  They may tell their boss I'm not available to do that, don't send
• 40:43
  me there again. And I know that happens.
• 40:46
  And you do have some management that'll look out for their own
• 40:49
  Rcas and say, yeah, we won't send you there, but no, I it is
• 40:53
  not physically possible to do that.
• 40:57
  I mean, I, you know, my heart goes out to those offices that
• 41:00
  are in those situations. Did you want to?
• 41:06
  Well, there isn't any way in any reasonable time frame that you
• 41:14
  could actually accomplish delivering 10 routes with five
• 41:16
  people on a consistent basis. But as your newly elected
• 41:22
  president of the National Role Letter Carriers Association, I
• 41:26
  would get with my vice President who would help streamline the
• 41:31
  academies and the hiring process so that we're not waiting months
• 41:35
  for people to go through the system.
• 41:37
  And then I would get with my new director of Stewart operations
• 41:40
  and have him delegate to every office that's in this situation
• 41:47
  focused Stewart whether it be local area ADRDR.
• 41:52
  To address the situation and to make sure that none of our
• 41:55
  carriers are being threatened, intimidated or abused into
• 41:59
  complying with the wishes of management who haven't bothered
• 42:03
  to learn the contract. No way are you going to deliver
• 42:07
  10 with five, especially if the five don't want to help.
• 42:13
  So therefore you're going to have to be putting, you know,
• 42:17
  city carriers on there, you know, CC as they're bringing
• 42:21
  people from outside the office management people.
• 42:24
  Either way, you know, it's going to end up with a a a shit load
• 42:30
  of grievances because of the failure of management to hire
• 42:34
  brain and retain RCAS. And the problem of it is, in the
• 42:39
  national steward system we have to find a way to protect these
• 42:43
  people under 90 days because they are intimidated and fearful
• 42:47
  to follow any type of grievance because of the fact they're in
• 42:50
  that 90 day window. OK.
• 42:53
  Next question again is for all three of you and I'm reading it
• 42:59
  as it's written. I would like to hear your
• 43:04
  proposition for the process of converting an RCA to APTF within
• 43:09
  two years. I am curious that our rules in
• 43:13
  this craft dictate that a regular carrier is assigned to a
• 43:18
  specific route. How would you assign an RCA that
• 43:22
  has converted to career status if no route is open in the
• 43:26
  office with the 50 mile rules still apply?
• 43:31
  And would this said employee and in quotes on call and receive
• 43:38
  Fay for being on call? To be with, I think that there's
• 43:44
  an underlier in the question regarding the regular carriers
• 43:48
  assigned a specific route. Is that supposed to be an RCA?
• 43:53
  They're not a regular carrier because a regular carry does
• 43:57
  have a specific route. In converting the the RCA to
• 44:01
  APTF, it'd be similar in the same situation with the CC as in
• 44:05
  creating you know the career position for them.
• 44:08
  James has come up with the formula of 2080 hours over the
• 44:12
  period of two years or two years, whichever you know comes
• 44:15
  first in regards to that conversion.
• 44:21
  Then we then have to do is change the language in regarding
• 44:25
  PTFS and their assignments. The two to five routes can still
• 44:30
  main be maintained, but we have to make sure that we be able to
• 44:34
  use them anywhere we need to use them, which is also in the order
• 44:39
  of consideration. If an RCA is created and into a
• 44:44
  career position that says if there's no route open the office
• 44:50
  no route does not mean that they can't serve on any route.
• 44:55
  So they still can get their hours and with that
• 44:58
  understanding there has to be an agreement that APTF is not going
• 45:04
  to be forced to go to an office up to 50 miles outside of their
• 45:08
  primary office. We want to make sure that
• 45:11
  they're that career position has the same protection as a regular
• 45:14
  carrier. So on call I keep that form at
• 45:19
  my at my case there is no on call status.
• 45:23
  If you want to be on call then you better get 2 hours of pay
• 45:27
  every day. They tell you're all documented,
• 45:30
  round dated. Have them sign it and if they
• 45:33
  don't pay you file, file and smile first thing.
• 45:43
  Well Gary, see as the difference I of IP an RCA to APTF within
• 45:50
  two years. And yes the craft does dictate
• 45:53
  that the regular carrier is assigned to a specific route.
• 45:55
  IPTF is not a regular carrier. It is a career level a leave
• 46:02
  replacement. It's you're you're still a leave
• 46:05
  replacement, but you have career benefits.
• 46:09
  That is really the only difference.
• 46:10
  You're not a regular carrier. So where is this talking about
• 46:14
  an RCA to APTF? You're still a leave
• 46:17
  replacement. Current contract says PTFS are
• 46:21
  assigned 2 to 5K routes. Yes, that would eventually be
• 46:26
  modified. I think if going to career leave
• 46:31
  replacement says it has been talked many times that yeah,
• 46:36
  that language would have to be changed as Bill said as opposed
• 46:41
  for the two to 5K routes. I mean if you have a smaller
• 46:43
  office where you don't have that many K routes, I mean obviously
• 46:51
  you know I'm not going to talk about formula offices were just
• 46:54
  strictly RCA to APTF. I think that would help retain
• 47:02
  and like I said with James and like with Bill already with
• 47:05
  James's resolution that he had go through with converting at
• 47:08
  2080 or two years, whichever comes first, it is definitely
• 47:14
  doable as opposed to going outside you know the 50 mile
• 47:20
  radius. I think PTF should be staying in
• 47:23
  the office. You can still send an RCA out,
• 47:28
  but I think PTFS should be should be kept within the office
• 47:33
  and that way they are there. If they're not covering they're
• 47:37
  available to cover a route if needed.
• 47:40
  And for the on call thing, I don't agree with that.
• 47:43
  I mean everything. We say nothing that this is
• 47:46
  where management confuses the on call with available upon short
• 47:51
  notice. They're not the same thing.
• 47:54
  The available on short notice means somebody called in last
• 47:57
  minute, somebody broke down, They need to call you and they
• 47:59
  need you to come in to finish a route, run the route.
• 48:02
  That's not the same as being on call.
• 48:04
  If you're going to say we're going to, they're going to be on
• 48:06
  call, then you need to pay in the minimum of two hours a day.
• 48:13
  Yeah, I I agree with Bill on most of those things.
• 48:18
  Time, James. I have to make a small
• 48:26
  correction here because I do not agree completely with the terms
• 48:32
  used here. When I created that 2082 hour or
• 48:37
  two year resolution, my goal was to make them a career RCA.
• 48:44
  They would still be in RCA, but they would have career benefits
• 48:48
  and the reason why I did that is because of our own union.
• 48:55
  Our current current constitution and dues structure says APTF
• 49:02
  pays the exact same amount of dues as a regular rural carrier,
• 49:07
  even if they're only working 2 routes a week.
• 49:12
  So by making them a career RCA they continue to pay the RCA
• 49:17
  level dues which gives them a little bit of extra cash than
• 49:21
  APTF would have doing 2 routes a week if an RCA was doing 2
• 49:26
  routes a week. Giving them the career benefits
• 49:30
  allows them to start earning towards retirement, allows
• 49:33
  allows them to put towards their retirement and things like that
• 49:38
  and its circumvents requiring a federal law change, putting it
• 49:45
  through the legislation and getting it changed for all the
• 49:48
  back pay and things like that for carriers that are on there
• 49:52
  now. So overall it's about keeping
• 49:58
  the dues low for me, for the carriers so that they can have a
• 50:01
  little bit of extra funds for themselves.
• 50:04
  I understand as a Union Leader I would want as many dues as
• 50:09
  possible coming in, but I also have to think about the carriers
• 50:15
  themselves and what they're going through, what they're
• 50:17
  having to deal with in their personal lives just like every
• 50:20
  other carrier out there deals with.
• 50:23
  So I would not make them a career PTF, but just a career
• 50:28
  RCA. Now can I can I ask a question
• 50:33
  real quick on this 30 seconds? Why not look at redoing the DO
• 50:36
  structure for the PTF position then?
• 50:41
  If that is an option, I believe that would require a binding
• 50:45
  resolution to make that happen. Yes, it would.
• 50:48
  Thank you. And and just a point of
• 50:52
  indifference there. Not everybody who becomes a
• 50:57
  career RCA or APTF is a dues paying member.
• 51:04
  Yeah, and this folks. This, this.
• 51:06
  What's nice about having myself, James and Kristen in regards to
• 51:10
  you know going to the national, we can sit there and discuss
• 51:13
  this. We're not going to be a I'm the
• 51:18
  president, this is what goes on, this is, you know, this is the
• 51:21
  law. No, this, this is going to be
• 51:22
  the type of discussion that we have in regards to how this
• 51:27
  craft moves forward. And we're going to, we're going
• 51:30
  to require your input also. So we're open to anything and
• 51:35
  everything. I will do the best job possible
• 51:38
  to represent the majority of the craft, which is the democratic
• 51:43
  way, and it should be. Fine.
• 51:49
  And we'll open up comments. We'll open up comments on
• 51:51
  Facebook too. Bill, this one's addressed to
• 51:58
  you. Do you plan to address rampant
• 52:03
  working off the clock? Do you feel it was adversely
• 52:07
  affected? Evaluations with Rex in my
• 52:11
  office it is still happening every day.
• 52:14
  Be it someone grabbing DPS and mail early, casing mail to RCAS,
• 52:21
  providing extended lunches and clocking out prior to end of
• 52:25
  shift duties. I know it cannot just be my
• 52:28
  office. The union and management both
• 52:31
  are aware but have not to corrected it.
• 52:35
  Grievances filed but it has not stopped.
• 52:39
  Current Rep feels that it may be able to be settled by language.
• 52:45
  It was settled in past that management would monitor it.
• 52:50
  They have not. OK, first of all, working off
• 52:58
  the clock hurts the route, and if you're regular or you're a or
• 53:04
  the sub of the record, you're hurting the routes evaluation.
• 53:08
  Anytime you're working off the clock, you're working at your
• 53:11
  own risk because until you are on the clock, if you become
• 53:16
  injured, it is not covered by OWCP.
• 53:20
  You're not in a paid status until you clock in.
• 53:26
  Anybody thinks that grabbing their keys and doing their PTI
• 53:29
  in the morning or or grabbing their DPS or going over grabbing
• 53:33
  their parcel hamper is not working.
• 53:35
  That is all part of your time functions.
• 53:39
  Walking out to do your PTI, going over to get your hamper,
• 53:43
  all that is a time function, so you're only hurting yourself.
• 53:48
  Case in point. I filed A grievance against
• 53:51
  management three years ago for people working off the clock.
• 53:56
  The grievance was settled for future penalties, and the future
• 54:03
  penalties for it was $100 for every carrier, for every future
• 54:07
  incident. It happened three times.
• 54:13
  We won three times. They've kind of put a a stop to
• 54:17
  it temporarily. Now we have a new postmaster.
• 54:21
  Who, for obvious reasons, is allowing some people to come
• 54:28
  just a couple minutes early. Again, I'm going to have to pull
• 54:31
  the grievance out, which is still in force.
• 54:35
  It doesn't go away. And we're going to have to
• 54:38
  explain, you know, this is what's happening again, it
• 54:40
  should not be allowed. People should not be coming back
• 54:43
  from their routes, hitting, you know, return to DU and then
• 54:47
  clocking out two minutes later. There's no way you're doing it.
• 54:50
  You're cheating yourself. You're cheating the sub, you're
• 54:53
  cheating the route. All you're doing is helping
• 54:56
  management. And for the people who do this
• 54:59
  because they want to stay under evaluation, work their drop
• 55:02
  days, don't worry, it'll catch up to you.
• 55:07
  Pharma has a way of always finding its way to the people
• 55:10
  who deserve it, and you will get yours.
• 55:14
  Kristen or James, would you like to address that?
• 55:17
  I'm going to address that, yes. I mean not only with Rex, but
• 55:21
  even with the previous evaluation system that we had,
• 55:26
  it affects it. It affects your time standards.
• 55:29
  When they go back and look, why do you think we've had time
• 55:33
  standards continuously drop throughout the years, Each time
• 55:38
  they've redone the evaluation system, our time standards have
• 55:42
  gotten lower. I mean just between the two,
• 55:46
  when you had, you know, when we lost the the L routes and you
• 55:51
  have the difference between 2 minutes a box and 1.8 minutes a
• 55:54
  box depending on whether you were in L status or not.
• 56:00
  And now we're 1.2 minutes per box per week across the board
• 56:05
  DPS, 86 pieces per minute. That's insane.
• 56:10
  This is what happens when people are working off the clock
• 56:13
  because they're showing more productivity, while when they're
• 56:19
  clocked in, even though half of that was done off the clock,
• 56:24
  well, not necessarily half, but some of that was done off the
• 56:27
  clock. But it's it.
• 56:30
  There's no This is why our standards keep dropping.
• 56:33
  Number one too is because people are working off the clock, stop
• 56:37
  working off the clock. Besides the fact that if you do
• 56:41
  get injured, you're not covered. I have preached that in my
• 56:45
  office time and time again. I think that should be the
• 56:48
  biggest one when it comes to working off the clock.
• 56:51
  You trip over that tub sitting there, somebody does something,
• 56:55
  you get injured, you slip, you trip, you fall, you twist, you
• 56:59
  bust an ankle, you an arm, anything.
• 57:03
  You're not going to be covered under OWCP if you're not on the
• 57:07
  clock. And then look at, you know,
• 57:10
  yeah, time standards, big drop across the board.
• 57:14
  I'm going to address the part, the biggest part of this that I
• 57:18
  talked about earlier on the question asked about settling
• 57:21
  for language that we talked about.
• 57:24
  The grievance was filed and it hasn't stopped.
• 57:27
  The current Rep believes that it may be able to be settled by
• 57:30
  language. It was already settled by
• 57:33
  language in the past that management would monitor it.
• 57:37
  You said management would monitor it.
• 57:40
  That means management's watching the carriers work off the clock
• 57:43
  and going, Yep, they're working off the clock.
• 57:45
  That's OK for me because it helps my numbers.
• 57:48
  It keeps them out of 2080 trouble.
• 57:51
  It keeps me off the radar with the POOM, things like that.
• 57:55
  We need to be filing on this if it is happening regularly in
• 58:00
  your office because only by getting those carriers to get
• 58:06
  stopped working off the clock can their evaluations be
• 58:09
  properly evaluated for their route.
• 58:12
  Because I also believe because we don't have transparency in it
• 58:16
  that the times it takes you to run your route is part of the
• 58:20
  Rex evaluation system under some unknown spreadsheet number in
• 58:27
  there. So I believe that's actually
• 58:29
  part of it. So until we can actually have
• 58:32
  full transparency on all those numbers, we don't know for sure.
• 58:36
  But working off the clock is not only dangerous, but it's also
• 58:41
  terrible for our contract negotiations as well.
• 58:46
  So anybody who's working off the clock now needs to stop is
• 58:51
  listening to this podcast because you're only hurting the
• 58:55
  craft, you're benefiting management.
• 59:00
  That's what I have to say. Mr. Moderator can I have another
• 59:04
  30 seconds? Yes, it's 42 on the clock.
• 59:09
  OK, ladies and gentlemen that haven't been around for the old
• 59:13
  meal count system. We screamed and cried and
• 59:18
  stamped our feet and threw fits about not getting paid for what
• 59:21
  we do. Now we have a system that is
• 59:24
  closer to paying us for what we do.
• 59:26
  Of course the numbers have been rigged against us, but again, if
• 59:32
  you're doing it, you're to be paid for it.
• 59:35
  Retrieving your Pampers in there, don't cheat yourself,
• 59:40
  don't cheat the route. Don't let management have the
• 59:43
  upper hand saying, well, you know, they're under evaluation
• 59:47
  again, you know, I guess we have to change the time standards.
• 59:50
  Well, what? What's the next step?
• 59:51
  102 letters a minute? You know you're you're going to
• 59:55
  get, you know, 1.1 seconds for a stop.
• 59:59
  You're going to get even less route coverage in regards to
• 1:00:04
  what the system's telling you, according to the DPS, because.
• 1:00:08
  I deliver a lot of mail that's not in the DPS and that's got to
• 1:00:11
  be corrected. That's why Rex should be spelt
• 1:00:14
  with AW. But this system, if you don't do
• 1:00:18
  it according to the standards, you're going to lose.
• 1:00:22
  Thank you, Mr. Moderator. OK, again, for all three of you,
• 1:00:31
  what would be an acceptable compromise for the abolish of
• 1:00:36
  Table 2IN lieu of any salary increases for these carriers,
• 1:00:42
  Would you advocate for or against the half mile rule if it
• 1:00:46
  would help both our evaluation and our customers?
• 1:00:51
  How would you deal with the pay issues differently than what is
• 1:00:56
  currently being done? Address the first issue in
• 1:00:59
  regards to the the tables. I would I would like to see the
• 1:01:03
  Table 2 abolished and converted all the you know table one.
• 1:01:11
  As far as the half mile rule is concerned in my area I don't
• 1:01:15
  have that problem except for like 5 addresses out in rural
• 1:01:20
  Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma. Folks, if you want us to service
• 1:01:24
  the customer, then you have to abolish that half mile rule and
• 1:01:28
  we have to be paid for it. OK?
• 1:01:31
  The acceptable compromise for evolution of Table 2 is a
• 1:01:34
  conversion to table one right away half mile rule.
• 1:01:38
  If we have to go more than half a mile, then we get paid for it
• 1:01:40
  and differently is being done pay issues differently than what
• 1:01:45
  is currently. I don't understand that.
• 1:01:47
  How would you deal with the pay issues differently?
• 1:01:50
  Oh, are you talking about the lack of pay?
• 1:01:52
  Yes, I believe that's what. He's talking about OK, in
• 1:01:56
  regards to the lack of pay. Every time that, you know, the
• 1:01:59
  post office has this problem, they get, they get breathed and
• 1:02:03
  settled for $100 minimal, plus any fees that anybody has to pay
• 1:02:08
  out of or you know, insufficient funds, you know, delinquencies
• 1:02:13
  or stuff like that. I don't care it that that's not
• 1:02:17
  our problem folks. That's your problem.
• 1:02:19
  You are given a fair day's work for a fair day's wages and you
• 1:02:23
  are required to pay us in a timely fashion.
• 1:02:28
  And the statement step four national $100 plus fees next
• 1:02:34
  time it happens $250 and fees until you get it right.
• 1:02:41
  Why do we not hear the clerks or the city carriers having this
• 1:02:44
  problem? What is wrong with the system?
• 1:02:52
  Yeah, we've heard the national board say before that they're
• 1:02:54
  operating with an antiquated system at the Postal Service.
• 1:02:58
  Folks, in this day and age of technology, they don't have any
• 1:03:01
  problems getting their reports for their scans, do they?
• 1:03:04
  Then they shouldn't have a problem processing our payroll.
• 1:03:10
  All right. Well, second kind of a part of a
• 1:03:14
  questioner there was with the abolishment of Table 2IN lieu of
• 1:03:18
  any salary increases for these carriers, what about in lieu of
• 1:03:21
  of a raise for table one, What would you I, I still think there
• 1:03:28
  should be a general wage increase.
• 1:03:29
  I'll, I'll go ahead and take this one.
• 1:03:32
  I I have to agree with Bill on abolishing table two, put
• 1:03:36
  everybody up on table one and then yeah, still negotiate a
• 1:03:42
  general wage increase across the board.
• 1:03:46
  What that would be, I can't say it this time.
• 1:03:50
  I definitely should be more than the 1% one point 3% that we've
• 1:03:54
  had in the past. We need to be put back up to
• 1:03:58
  where we have always been as one of the our our wages even on
• 1:04:04
  table one in most sections anymore are not competitive.
• 1:04:07
  Table two is well don't get me started on that, but yeah, I
• 1:04:13
  would like to see table two and table 4 for RCA is abolished and
• 1:04:18
  put everybody back on one table ideally and then general wage
• 1:04:26
  increase across the board for everybody.
• 1:04:29
  And what are we going on with with the half mile rule I I do
• 1:04:35
  have well not on my particular route now, but routes that I
• 1:04:38
  have ran in the past up in rural Northern Michigan.
• 1:04:41
  I do have houses that are past that half mile it it's a pain.
• 1:04:47
  It really is because you know they know I, you know if you're
• 1:04:53
  going to service the customer, I say we do it.
• 1:04:55
  We get paid for it. We go and do what we got to do.
• 1:05:00
  You know if they're a mile from where their mailbox is why can't
• 1:05:03
  we go ahead and deliver their package.
• 1:05:08
  I you know, I I get the off the line of travel, but if I'd get
• 1:05:14
  rid of the half mile rule if possible.
• 1:05:16
  I mean, I know that is established in the 603.
• 1:05:20
  As well. And what else we got on here and
• 1:05:30
  the pay issues, yes, I agree with Bill on that.
• 1:05:34
  I know, it's ridiculous, whether it's management error or it's
• 1:05:38
  interface error between the real carrier pay system and tax,
• 1:05:43
  because why can't we just put it in tax instead of having to
• 1:05:48
  interface it over to tax and then it it it's again, it goes
• 1:05:55
  with the antiquated systems. You would think that they would
• 1:05:59
  want their systems to work properly and it doesn't.
• 1:06:03
  And I have to agree with the limo stuff.
• 1:06:07
  James. Oh, there is not an acceptable
• 1:06:16
  quote UN quote compromise in this situation other than
• 1:06:22
  abolishing table two and table 4, moving everybody on those
• 1:06:27
  tables to the equal step that they would have been had they
• 1:06:31
  been on that table in the 1st place.
• 1:06:34
  So everybody is paid the exact same way for everybody and wage
• 1:06:41
  increases by federal law have to be comparable to other similar
• 1:06:48
  union jobs in the private sector, which would be your big
• 1:06:52
  three UPS, FedEx, similar private company wages.
• 1:06:59
  So we can be competitive and there is no compromising on that
• 1:07:03
  because it is law. So I would also say that the
• 1:07:10
  half mile rule should be abolished because now that we
• 1:07:13
  have wrecks and we can actually put the park point and front
• 1:07:19
  door walking distances in the system, there should be no
• 1:07:23
  reason to have 1/2 mile rule anymore because we can actually
• 1:07:27
  measure that out and get paid for it.
• 1:07:30
  Supposedly on wrecks it would go into your out of route miles and
• 1:07:36
  out of route feet, so it wouldn't be too hard of an issue
• 1:07:40
  to solve with that. And As for the pay issues, we
• 1:07:45
  should have had a Step 4 written as soon as we found out that
• 1:07:48
  55,000 carriers weren't getting paid and that step four should
• 1:07:53
  have been put in on that Friday when the carriers did not
• 1:07:56
  receive any type of pay other than a 65% money order that they
• 1:08:02
  called in advance. It's not in advance.
• 1:08:04
  That is, money you are owed in advance would be.
• 1:08:08
  I haven't worked yet and I want some money, so calling in an
• 1:08:13
  advance is a misnomer, so it should have been filed
• 1:08:18
  immediately. Our leadership failed to do that
• 1:08:21
  and we have Step 4 from 2018 that still haven't been
• 1:08:23
  resolved. So I don't expect this one to be
• 1:08:25
  done soon either. Since there are 9 total
• 1:08:28
  positions, once you're elected, what will you do to drown out
• 1:08:33
  the majority of officers that do not hold similar views as yours,
• 1:08:40
  Bill? Well, first of all, I'm not
• 1:08:43
  going to do anything to drown out the other voices.
• 1:08:46
  If you can't hear from your opposition, if you can't take
• 1:08:50
  criticism or a difference of opinion, and you shouldn't be in
• 1:08:54
  the position of leadership. You have to consider all sides.
• 1:08:59
  Doesn't mean you have to tell them, but you have to give due
• 1:09:02
  respect to listening to opposing views.
• 1:09:07
  And there are 9 positions. There are 7 positions that need
• 1:09:15
  to be changed. 1/2 of them actually cannot be as as NR OS
• 1:09:21
  but the fact of the matter is 4 positions on the national board
• 1:09:26
  need to be changed now because they are of the old mindset.
• 1:09:31
  It's the good old boys club with girls included.
• 1:09:36
  They are doing nothing to represent us, mode us, educate
• 1:09:40
  us will protect us. If you can't replace everybody,
• 1:09:44
  like I said you have to give due respect, take their opinions
• 1:09:49
  given for their experience and move from move forward from
• 1:09:53
  there. You can always agree to
• 1:09:55
  disagree, but you don't have to follow the the crowd per SE in
• 1:10:02
  regards to what they've done in the past because that has not
• 1:10:05
  worked for for us and it won't work for us in the future,
• 1:10:11
  Kristen. Along the same lines as Bill it,
• 1:10:15
  it's not a matter of drowning it out.
• 1:10:17
  Yes, you're going to you're you're going to listen to
• 1:10:20
  everybody at the table. You get nine people around the
• 1:10:23
  table to talk stuff out, kind of like the four of us do weekly on
• 1:10:28
  here. You know, you sit down, you're
• 1:10:30
  going to listen to what they have to say.
• 1:10:32
  But at the same time, if if they're saying stuff that you
• 1:10:36
  know, may have pertained to, you know, 10/15/20 years ago and it
• 1:10:41
  doesn't apply to what's going on now, that's when you have to
• 1:10:45
  stop and you have to say, look, this is what is going on now.
• 1:10:52
  What these was going on then may not apply to what's going on
• 1:10:57
  now. We need to come up with a
• 1:10:58
  solution or a way to work this out with what is going on in the
• 1:11:04
  present. And I think if you cannot get
• 1:11:07
  everybody to talk stuff out again, it doesn't necessarily
• 1:11:13
  mean you're not going to drown them out.
• 1:11:15
  You're going to listen to what they have to say.
• 1:11:16
  But like a bill said, difference of opinions.
• 1:11:19
  You got to be respectful of it, but at the same time you're
• 1:11:23
  you're. We're looking out for the craft
• 1:11:25
  presently. What's going on today?
• 1:11:29
  James. I wholeheartedly agree with Bill
• 1:11:34
  and Kristen on this because we're there to work together to
• 1:11:39
  better the craft. It doesn't matter what my
• 1:11:42
  opinion personally is of each of these individuals.
• 1:11:46
  What matters is the job that we can do for the craft and they
• 1:11:51
  have experience with being in the leadership positions that
• 1:11:56
  can guide us on some of the issues that we may not have full
• 1:12:01
  experience on. At the same time, they also have
• 1:12:06
  not had a lot of experience on the route, so they don't fully
• 1:12:13
  grasp the exact issues that are happening at the ground level.
• 1:12:18
  So we're going to have to work together to create an
• 1:12:22
  environment that builds up this craft better, stronger and
• 1:12:27
  meaner than any other union that deals with management.
• 1:12:34
  Because at this point, management has proved that
• 1:12:38
  they're going to harass, intimidate, retaliate, and abuse
• 1:12:44
  the rural carriers. And it's time for our leadership
• 1:12:48
  to step up, protect the craft through the steward system, and
• 1:12:54
  fight for every single row carrier out there.
• 1:12:58
  It's the only way we can get ahead and be a better craft at
• 1:13:03
  by the end of this. All right.
• 1:13:04
  Josh stepped away for a moment. He did post the next question.
• 1:13:07
  I'm going to go ahead and read this real quick.
• 1:13:10
  I'll go through with Bill first. I know one of my resolutions
• 1:13:14
  that I put through that actually passed at National kind of
• 1:13:17
  reflects on the second part of this, but I'm going to read this
• 1:13:19
  real quick. If the situation presented
• 1:13:22
  itself in the course of contract negotiations, would any of you
• 1:13:27
  be in favor of establishing a list of regular rural carriers
• 1:13:31
  that wanted to work on Sundays and other routes?
• 1:13:35
  I am cognizant of the fact that this would have to be done so as
• 1:13:40
  not to mandate any regular rural carrier to work additional
• 1:13:43
  hours. I also have another question in
• 1:13:46
  roughly the same vein. Would it be possible to push for
• 1:13:49
  a system that would allow regular rule carriers to
• 1:13:52
  transfer across state lines similar to what the city
• 1:13:55
  carriers have, whereas if a route is open in an office, they
• 1:13:59
  can just go to that office rather than having to go through
• 1:14:02
  the mutual transfer process? Bill.
• 1:14:07
  OK. In the course of contract
• 1:14:09
  negotiations, we'd be in favor of establishing regular rural
• 1:14:16
  carriers who wanted to work on Sundays and other routes.
• 1:14:20
  We would have to examine the FSLA so that we don't get into a
• 1:14:23
  situation of 2080 and 2240 problems.
• 1:14:26
  And that would be based solely on you know where our Director
• 1:14:32
  of Labor Operations would basically guide us in that
• 1:14:37
  situation because our federal laws in in that regard.
• 1:14:42
  So that's that's a very tricky area.
• 1:14:46
  And the other problem of it is, is that if you do get into that
• 1:14:49
  situation, aren't we afraid that the United States Postal Service
• 1:14:54
  would then turn around and make mandate carriers to help on open
• 1:15:00
  routes And none of us want that. If we want the extra money, we
• 1:15:05
  would like the opportunity to volunteer, but we don't want to
• 1:15:08
  be mandated to cover other routes in regards to regular
• 1:15:13
  carriers transferring across state lines similar to city
• 1:15:17
  carriers. To me, this doesn't make any
• 1:15:20
  sense at all. If a regular carrier has the
• 1:15:23
  opportunity to bid on an open route in another state or
• 1:15:26
  another office, OK, they should be able to.
• 1:15:30
  There shouldn't be a transfer, a mutual transfer situation
• 1:15:34
  involved here. They they should be able to do
• 1:15:37
  that. Yes, you know, hold them for 30
• 1:15:39
  days or 60 days, whatever. But the thing of it is that
• 1:15:45
  either way one office or the other is going to suffer, you
• 1:15:48
  know, because of the lack of, you know, coverage.
• 1:15:53
  But you still should be able to give that carrier the
• 1:15:56
  opportunity because if that's what the carrier wants, you're
• 1:15:58
  going to have a better employee, a more satisfied employee has
• 1:16:03
  gotten what they wanted in regards to moving and you don't
• 1:16:07
  have to train them. So OK, yes, you're going to have
• 1:16:11
  an open position from where they leave.
• 1:16:14
  Guess what folks, we have enough of that right now.
• 1:16:16
  I mean I I know of 100 route that has that has 20 Subs.
• 1:16:23
  Tell me how that's working out. So you know, in my office we
• 1:16:28
  don't have one for one, and that's a conceived concept for,
• 1:16:32
  yes, yesteryear. Yes, if you should, you should
• 1:16:35
  be able to transfer without having a mutual transfer.
• 1:16:37
  My. Turn.
• 1:16:40
  I would say before you, before you start, I just wanted this is
• 1:16:46
  just a quick yes or no in regards to negotiations and I
• 1:16:49
  will ask each of you the same yes or no question when you wrap
• 1:16:53
  up. Once elected during negotiations
• 1:16:56
  at the post office offered 20% increase over the length of the
• 1:17:01
  contract in exchange for removing COLA.
• 1:17:08
  Would you take it? You can think about it and we'll
• 1:17:12
  go round Robin after you, the three of you answer this
• 1:17:14
  question or you can answer it as we go.
• 1:17:19
  Well, let's address the first question, then we'll do the the
• 1:17:21
  cola. OK.
• 1:17:24
  Kristen Go. All right, the situation as
• 1:17:27
  opposed with establishing a list of regular role carriers who
• 1:17:30
  wanted to work on Sundays or other routes.
• 1:17:32
  This I mean right now we have the relief day work list where
• 1:17:37
  we can sign to choose how we get paid to work our if needed to
• 1:17:41
  work our relief day city carriers have an overtime
• 1:17:46
  desired list which is essentially what we're talking
• 1:17:50
  about right here. This would is this I think would
• 1:17:53
  form an overtime desired list for regular carriers.
• 1:17:59
  I am going to have to say I'm against that.
• 1:18:02
  Again this comes back into the Fair Labor Standards Act, the
• 1:18:04
  FSLA rules for pay the 20802240 because we are salaried
• 1:18:10
  employees we are not hourly. I personally would not want to
• 1:18:16
  go for that. That's my own personal opinion.
• 1:18:22
  I mean, this is coming off of somebody who's worked six days a
• 1:18:24
  week for the last year for several years.
• 1:18:27
  I am counting down to when I actually get a relief day here
• 1:18:30
  in a couple weeks. Fingers crossed, Yes, I get I, I
• 1:18:34
  know there are some that volunteer I have volunteered
• 1:18:37
  since I've been regular to help out on other routes when it
• 1:18:39
  comes to helping new new Rcas. But to actually establish a list
• 1:18:45
  for Sundays, I I can't get on board with that personally.
• 1:18:50
  That's that's my own personal thing.
• 1:18:52
  I knowing management they would abuse a rural carrier overtime
• 1:18:57
  desired list to put it simple I would not be on board with that
• 1:19:02
  at all. And for regular rural carrier
• 1:19:07
  wanting to go across state lines, I actually submitted A
• 1:19:09
  res a resolution that went all up to national and did pass it
• 1:19:13
  national. That was for national bidding.
• 1:19:16
  Now this resolution was to circumvent where first as we all
• 1:19:22
  know when a route gets posted to bid, it's in office first.
• 1:19:26
  Nobody's able to bid, nobody bids, it goes to district again
• 1:19:30
  if nobody bids and then it comes and then it comes back for our
• 1:19:34
  CAS under their 90 days. This is where mine would
• 1:19:37
  intersect in. Instead of posting to the
• 1:19:40
  outside to hire in for that position, we would then post it
• 1:19:43
  nationally or anybody who wanted to bid on that route at the
• 1:19:47
  national for national level. There are time dates that go
• 1:19:51
  along with it. They're a little bit extended
• 1:19:53
  outside of the district postings, but I did submit a
• 1:19:59
  resolution just for that. And yes, I think if there is a
• 1:20:02
  route open somewhere they should be able to do that.
• 1:20:07
  James OK. Like Kristen and Bill, I am
• 1:20:11
  completely opposed to developing an overtime desirability list
• 1:20:17
  because as they've explained, that just completely opens the
• 1:20:21
  door for management to use and abuse carriers at their will and
• 1:20:26
  discretion. And some managers would turn
• 1:20:29
  around and start forcing carriers to work as if they
• 1:20:34
  weren't on the overtime desirability list as city
• 1:20:36
  carriers have because theirs allows them overtime
• 1:20:40
  desirability and then they go to non overtime desirability
• 1:20:44
  carriers. So they would just use that same
• 1:20:47
  system to try and force regular carriers that don't want the
• 1:20:51
  overtime, don't want to volunteer and things like that.
• 1:20:55
  So I would be completely opposed to that specific thing.
• 1:20:59
  We already have that fear because we've refreshed the MOU
• 1:21:03
  multiple times for volunteering that management will try and put
• 1:21:08
  that in our next contract. Also, I believe that if we
• 1:21:13
  actually have a very good contract that will actually
• 1:21:18
  start getting people to line up to work for the post office
• 1:21:20
  again. So I'm not too worried about it
• 1:21:24
  at this point after we see what kind of contract we get.
• 1:21:28
  As for the bidding outside of your state, I'm totally for
• 1:21:32
  that. It's kind of, in my opinion,
• 1:21:35
  it's kind of like a mutual transfer with an empty route in
• 1:21:39
  a way. Being able to bid on a route in
• 1:21:42
  another state isn't just basically a mutual transfer with
• 1:21:45
  an empty slot. And if your office has Rcas that
• 1:21:49
  can move up, great. That RCA now becomes a career
• 1:21:51
  regular instead of having to wait.
• 1:21:54
  So you get that opportunity to give them the chance to move up
• 1:21:57
  to be a regular. So there's a lot of benefits to
• 1:22:01
  that as well. Other than that, I think really
• 1:22:05
  the contract negotiations need to focus on the benefits for
• 1:22:09
  carriers in the current standards to entice more people
• 1:22:14
  to apply for the post office. Then we have to fix the hiring
• 1:22:17
  process because they're still using the hiring process of when
• 1:22:21
  people were lining out the doors to work here.
• 1:22:24
  And we need to have an efficient system to get people in and
• 1:22:27
  working. So that's another thing that
• 1:22:30
  would have to be discussed. Can we address 2 questions that
• 1:22:34
  are in the chat column there? Who knows what Your seventy K *
• 1:22:40
  20 percent 14K is incorrect. It would actually be more than
• 1:22:45
  that. It wouldn't be $84,000 to be
• 1:22:48
  closer to 89 because you'll be getting 5% over each year
• 1:22:53
  accrued. And as Jared says, you know
• 1:22:56
  hourly seems good to him, would make Brexit revelant.
• 1:22:59
  The problem of that is that you still have a lot of people who
• 1:23:02
  are working under evaluation and that would piss them off to no
• 1:23:07
  end. That and that is one of the
• 1:23:10
  bonuses of being in the evaluated system is getting done
• 1:23:13
  before your evaluation. And I know there's a lot of
• 1:23:16
  people not getting done in their evaluation and I know people who
• 1:23:20
  are working over their evaluation because they're on 60
• 1:23:23
  hour routes. But as far as popular sentiment,
• 1:23:28
  the evaluated system is still the preferred system.
• 1:23:32
  Once you go to hourly, then you're going to be micromanaged
• 1:23:35
  just like the city carriers. And I personally like getting
• 1:23:41
  done in seven hours and going home and not being held to that
• 1:23:47
  8 hours a day. Going back to the question Josh
• 1:23:52
  asked of the COLA, the colas are not guaranteed increases they'll
• 1:23:59
  never minus. We'll never have a negative COLA
• 1:24:02
  because they can't take away what we currently make.
• 1:24:05
  However, there could be a zero COLA.
• 1:24:08
  So would I be in favor of a 20% wage increase over the course of
• 1:24:12
  a contract instead of having a COLA?
• 1:24:15
  Absolutely. I absolutely would be in favor
• 1:24:18
  of that. They keep in mind, once you
• 1:24:21
  write it out, you're probably not going to get it back in.
• 1:24:25
  Exactly. But at the same time, like I
• 1:24:28
  said, cola is not guaranteed. Which means this this past
• 1:24:34
  contract that we're that's about to expire, the five plus $1000
• 1:24:41
  in COLA we got, which I know is not guaranteed because I've seen
• 1:24:45
  plenty of 0 colas in my career. If the economy ever cycle back
• 1:24:54
  this way again, that would be money that we wouldn't get.
• 1:25:00
  And I understand that. OK, James.
• 1:25:03
  You got to remember 5. You know, 5% over a four year
• 1:25:06
  contract on $70,000 is $3500 guaranteed.
• 1:25:13
  Yes. And then that's that's now
• 1:25:16
  you're now making $73,500 times the next 5%, which is going to
• 1:25:21
  be worth $37150. Now you're over $7000 versus the
• 1:25:26
  COLA. I'll take the 5 to 20% / 4
• 1:25:30
  years. OK, I was just like I said, I
• 1:25:36
  was just curious. OK, I have.
• 1:25:39
  Five questions from me now. Just ignore me.
• 1:25:44
  I see how I rate. All right, what is your answer?
• 1:25:50
  I'm going to disagree with Bill and Kristen on this because we
• 1:25:55
  are going to have to have a minimum increase to our bottom
• 1:26:01
  line in equal distance to the ones that the UAWUPS and all
• 1:26:09
  them negotiated. The cost of living adjustments
• 1:26:13
  are just to help in case increases aren't enough to match
• 1:26:19
  inflation, so you want to have that cost of living increase
• 1:26:24
  still in the contract as a protection in case increases
• 1:26:31
  occur at an exponential rate like they have in the past few
• 1:26:34
  years. Granted, it hasn't been enough
• 1:26:37
  to match the inflation that we've had, but it's still better
• 1:26:41
  than nothing. And I I can guarantee that if we
• 1:26:45
  have proper negotiations over the salary and follow the law,
• 1:26:50
  that we will be properly compensated as long as
• 1:26:53
  leadership recognizes that the law is on the books.
• 1:27:00
  You're you're correct 100%. But based on the track, the
• 1:27:05
  track history that we have, that would not be a correct
• 1:27:09
  assessment. Only a future management, future
• 1:27:12
  leadership of the National Royal Letter Carriers Association is
• 1:27:16
  change. Can we operate on that premise?
• 1:27:22
  And I I can, I could totally see where James is coming from and I
• 1:27:25
  could get on board with him if that COLA was not based off of a
• 1:27:30
  past pay table. If it was based off your current
• 1:27:35
  salary at the time that it occurs, then yes, I could get on
• 1:27:39
  board with retaining the COLA increases.
• 1:27:43
  So when you're basing it off of a pay table from two years ago,
• 1:27:49
  three years ago, that I would rather see the lump sum across
• 1:27:55
  the board. OK.
• 1:27:58
  And just for that comment, James, you're sleeping on the
• 1:28:00
  floor. No, no, he has a right to it.
• 1:28:05
  I I totally, I can see where he's coming from on that.
• 1:28:08
  Oh yeah, exactly. But, but the thing of it is that
• 1:28:11
  we have to base the information on, on the the, the present
• 1:28:15
  history that we have available to make that determination.
• 1:28:19
  OK. And you know presently if you go
• 1:28:22
  back the last 20 years of our contract, 1.5% was the greatest,
• 1:28:28
  OK. If you go back with the Colas,
• 1:28:30
  you know Josh wants to save $5000.
• 1:28:33
  Well, in two years you can get $7000 and then four years you
• 1:28:37
  can get $11,000 total increases. You're not getting the $11,000
• 1:28:42
  increase off a COLA unless the entire economy tanks.
• 1:28:47
  At that point, the post office would be out of business anyway.
• 1:28:50
  I have 5 questions that were submitted that Kristen sent over
• 1:28:55
  to me, not counting what James sent to me in Adm.
• 1:29:01
  Do you guys want to looking at the time, do you guys want to
• 1:29:03
  keep going or do we want to cut it here and pick up next week or
• 1:29:08
  it's at another point in time we?
• 1:29:10
  Can always do another. It doesn't matter to me.
• 1:29:13
  However you guys want to do it, Yeah, matter.
• 1:29:15
  To. Me we'll.
• 1:29:16
  Let you guys decide. We can always do another episode
• 1:29:20
  and put those questions that came in today at the later one.
• 1:29:25
  OK. I just want to I am going to we
• 1:29:33
  I'm going to read this one and then when we pick back up this
• 1:29:37
  will be one of the ones that we cover them.
• 1:29:40
  But I'm going to read this and it's not it's more of a comment
• 1:29:46
  than a question. Do you guys believe that by
• 1:29:50
  James giving so much incorrect information on the podcast that
• 1:29:54
  it would hurt your chances? I listened from time to time and
• 1:29:58
  can name several things that he has said that were incorrect.
• 1:30:02
  Being forced to take L WAP if you're over 2080.
• 1:30:05
  Last one I listened to, he said that holiday scheduling is done
• 1:30:10
  by the order of consideration. It's not.
• 1:30:13
  He also said he told the supervisor he was entitled to
• 1:30:16
  overtime. We are not entitled to any
• 1:30:19
  overtime during Christmas. They can take you off your route
• 1:30:23
  anytime. You are entitled to your
• 1:30:25
  evaluated hours. No, over time I'm not bashing
• 1:30:29
  him. I think it's great he wants to
• 1:30:32
  change things. However, you know they are
• 1:30:35
  taking notes. They will say he needs
• 1:30:38
  experience and they will have proof in his own words to prove
• 1:30:44
  it. And then they will use it
• 1:30:46
  against you, all of you, for not correcting him when he made the
• 1:30:52
  statement. I support you all, just do not
• 1:30:56
  want to see them attack you over this.
• 1:30:59
  We're going to address this one tonight.
• 1:31:01
  OK. And James, I think.
• 1:31:05
  Setting the clock. OK.
• 1:31:07
  I am not going to set the clock on this one.
• 1:31:10
  We will do this one. We will take this one like we
• 1:31:12
  normally do. Talk about topics that way.
• 1:31:20
  If I have two cents, I can put it in also.
• 1:31:25
  All right. Bill, you go ahead and take the
• 1:31:27
  lead. Well, first of all, anybody
• 1:31:31
  picks up on my Snuggle buddies, I'm going to bash you.
• 1:31:36
  No, no, no. I, I I really can understand,
• 1:31:42
  you know some of the comments in there and that they're often
• 1:31:47
  times I won't correct anybody on the podcast unless I have me.
• 1:31:51
  So I won't interrupt James and in the midst of his enthusiasm
• 1:31:56
  at times and I don't want to seem like a detractor from him
• 1:32:01
  while we're on the podcast. But James is man enough to stand
• 1:32:05
  up and say OK I made a mistake. You know I I misquoted whatever,
• 1:32:11
  which is better than what the national board does.
• 1:32:14
  OK. Or anybody else that that I I
• 1:32:17
  basically know in life they won't admit when they're wrong.
• 1:32:21
  Will it detract it from our campaigns in regards to
• 1:32:24
  supporting him? No, Because we know that with
• 1:32:29
  each other we can work as a cohesive unit to make this union
• 1:32:33
  better. Whether one's right, Two's
• 1:32:35
  right, Two's wrong, whatever, it doesn't matter.
• 1:32:38
  We will work the find the answer and come up with a solution.
• 1:32:43
  And anybody puts as much hard time and effort into this as
• 1:32:48
  James does, let alone Kristen, Josh, myself and our editor.
• 1:32:54
  I won't mention Chris by name, but we are here to improve the
• 1:33:01
  entire craft. Not just the National Board, not
• 1:33:05
  the NR OS, not the National Steward System, the entire
• 1:33:09
  craft. We're doing it for everybody,
• 1:33:11
  not targeting any specific group.
• 1:33:14
  And I'll stand right next to James every day of the week.
• 1:33:18
  And if he makes a mistake, I'll prod him to turn around and
• 1:33:21
  correct himself. And he has, unlike the National
• 1:33:25
  Board who has taken weeks and months to make corrections.
• 1:33:31
  So remember, before you cast the first stone, make sure you don't
• 1:33:35
  live in the glass ass James. Director Stewart Operation.
• 1:33:42
  Operations, I stand by you. I'm there with Bill.
• 1:33:47
  I mean, we all. We all get to where we're.
• 1:33:49
  Going and we're talking on a subject and you've got three
• 1:33:54
  different things to go off of on how something should be done or
• 1:33:57
  said or or whatever. And sometimes we do speak off
• 1:34:00
  the cuff. I know I have misspoke on some
• 1:34:04
  things. I'll admit it.
• 1:34:05
  We're human. We are all human.
• 1:34:09
  And think you know people can bring it up to me.
• 1:34:11
  I, you know turn out. Hey, got a correction.
• 1:34:15
  James has turned around and we not don't necessarily call him
• 1:34:18
  out on the air. We're not going to do that.
• 1:34:21
  You know, we we will make AK, you know, further looking into
• 1:34:25
  that. You know, we all talk every day.
• 1:34:29
  People bring things up to us. Once we get it corrected,
• 1:34:32
  usually that the very next episode or one later down the
• 1:34:35
  road, once we get the correction, we come back and say
• 1:34:38
  hey, we have a correction we have to make.
• 1:34:41
  Like I said, we are all human. Every single one of us.
• 1:34:45
  We all make mistakes. We all misspeak.
• 1:34:48
  We all it it happens. I mean that that's part of being
• 1:34:51
  human. So you know if it's going to
• 1:34:54
  reflect on us, it is what it is at that point.
• 1:34:58
  You know, I I people form their own opinions of people but I'm
• 1:35:04
  still going to be stand behind James.
• 1:35:06
  As you know, he has. The passion.
• 1:35:08
  His heart is in the right place He wants to see changes made as
• 1:35:13
  we all do. And it I, you know that's just a
• 1:35:17
  matter of saying hey you know why don't you go research it
• 1:35:20
  because I do believe it says this or yet Nope.
• 1:35:25
  During that time, we don't do it this way.
• 1:35:27
  You know, he's gone back and corrected himself as many times
• 1:35:30
  as we all have. You know, Bills has mis said
• 1:35:34
  something and. You know, I've corrected.
• 1:35:36
  Him on it or James is corrected of a monitor or somebody else
• 1:35:39
  has come up and said, hey, you know, that was kind of that
• 1:35:41
  wasn't right. It should have been this way.
• 1:35:44
  And you know, oops, I made a mistake because what I'm human.
• 1:35:49
  Plain and simple, James. This is your turn, your soapbox
• 1:35:55
  now. Well, really, I'm trying to, you
• 1:36:03
  know, hold back happy tears. Here, from what you guys have
• 1:36:05
  said it was it was really nice of you guys to say that.
• 1:36:08
  I really appreciate that. But all I'm really going to say
• 1:36:13
  is no single person has all the answers as evidence on this very
• 1:36:19
  podcast. When we are wrong, we correct
• 1:36:23
  ourselves either on the current episode, we've done it.
• 1:36:27
  Several times. Or in a future episode when we
• 1:36:31
  actually realize we've made a mistake.
• 1:36:33
  Or somebody actually contacts us and tells us we've made a
• 1:36:36
  mistake. I've made mistakes on the floor
• 1:36:40
  at convention, just like other people.
• 1:36:42
  Just like every other human in the world has made mistakes.
• 1:36:47
  But I'm not ashamed to admit. When I make a mistake.
• 1:36:51
  Because making mistakes is the only way someone can grow and
• 1:36:55
  learn and in this instance. When I make a mistake I.
• 1:37:00
  Want somebody to tell me I made a mistake?
• 1:37:03
  Because if they don't tell me I've made a mistake, I'm
• 1:37:07
  apartment to make that mistake in the future.
• 1:37:10
  But when somebody tells me I've made a mistake, I correct it and
• 1:37:14
  I correct myself because it's important for all of us.
• 1:37:20
  Because as I say at the end of this podcast all the time, we're
• 1:37:25
  all in this together. And not only do you guys depend
• 1:37:29
  on us to give you as accurate information as possible that we
• 1:37:33
  can, we depend on your feedback to make sure that we're doing
• 1:37:38
  this right. Because at the end of the day,
• 1:37:43
  the only people that matter to us is each and every, every
• 1:37:48
  rural carrier that is out there working this craft.
• 1:37:52
  Because you guys are the union. You guys are the ones that the
• 1:37:56
  leadership is supposed to answer to.
• 1:37:59
  And you should be able to have that communication line to us
• 1:38:03
  and to leadership to tell us what's going on and tell
• 1:38:08
  leadership. What's going on at the?
• 1:38:09
  Bottom level, nobody is immune from making mistakes, but only
• 1:38:17
  those that have the willpower can admit they made mistakes and
• 1:38:24
  correct those mistakes. Thank you, James.
• 1:38:28
  And This is why we still. Stand behind you, you.
• 1:38:31
  Just want to hug him. All.
• 1:38:36
  Right guys, we have it's. Been a long one tonight and
• 1:38:41
  thank you. Want to make a comment.
• 1:38:43
  Did you want to comment on that, Josh?
• 1:38:45
  Josh. No.
• 1:38:46
  Get the cat off of you. Where's my cat picture?
• 1:38:51
  I've been in the garage all night, so I could actually.
• 1:38:54
  Have the laptop to be able to read these questions and the
• 1:38:59
  poor thing knew it was mail time and.
• 1:39:03
  Was meowing. At the door for at least the
• 1:39:06
  first half hour. All right, let's get your
• 1:39:09
  response then. Yeah, I don't have you know, I
• 1:39:15
  you know there are things that have been said and like you guys
• 1:39:20
  both said once the corrected information.
• 1:39:24
  Was given to him. Or he was informed of the issue
• 1:39:31
  of what was, you know, his misspeaking, did say something
• 1:39:37
  on a future episode or later that evening if we messaged him
• 1:39:41
  and said, hey, you know, while we were talking, hey, it's this,
• 1:39:46
  not that and. I want to say what was.
• 1:39:53
  About six months ago, there was two of the board members.
• 1:40:01
  In the same month. Had a.
• 1:40:03
  Correction to. Their articles in the magazine?
• 1:40:09
  Yep. Yeah, we're.
• 1:40:12
  We're all human. We.
• 1:40:13
  All make. Mistakes we all.
• 1:40:15
  I mean there is ton of information between six O 3
• 1:40:20
  Elms, the contract, the order of consideration, M30 eights, F20
• 1:40:29
  ones. I mean there there is so much
• 1:40:37
  out there that we have to go by. And so yes, things get misspoke,
• 1:40:43
  things get construed, things get, you know, it happens, you
• 1:40:47
  know, we're we're all guilty of it.
• 1:40:48
  At one point, time or another, every single human being is
• 1:40:53
  guilty of. It at one time.
• 1:40:55
  Point or another, it happens. So, but that doesn't mean that's
• 1:40:59
  going to take away for how we feel with his passion and the
• 1:41:03
  amount that he cares for the craft in general.
• 1:41:07
  And we we all care, you know? It's that's why we're doing
• 1:41:11
  this, you know, let me explain that.
• 1:41:14
  I don't know. How, James?
• 1:41:16
  Does all that he does with with the social media, the railroad,
• 1:41:22
  his work, his personal life, and everything else.
• 1:41:25
  But as as members of your National Board, we're going to
• 1:41:30
  be your mouthpiece. We're not going to be
• 1:41:33
  representing 9 opinions for the NR OS and the National Board
• 1:41:38
  itself. We're.
• 1:41:38
  Going to be representing. 100,000 plus carriers.
• 1:41:43
  And we need your input, we need your knowledge, we need your
• 1:41:48
  insight what needs to be addressed.
• 1:41:52
  And we're going to be open to that.
• 1:41:54
  We're not. Going to set policy.
• 1:41:55
  Because we know better. We're not going to set policy
• 1:41:58
  because, oh, I'm the president and what I say goes, no, it's
• 1:42:03
  going to be a collaborative effort and it's going to be on
• 1:42:07
  your behalf, not ours, because we are the ones that are
• 1:42:10
  representing you. When it comes to battling with
• 1:42:14
  USPS management, yes, we have the authority to to.
• 1:42:20
  Negotiate. On your behalf.
• 1:42:22
  But we have a greater responsibility to represent your
• 1:42:26
  behalf. Responsibility is a much broader
• 1:42:33
  dilemma in regards to leadership authority anybody with the title
• 1:42:39
  can say they have. Authority.
• 1:42:41
  What's what's what's the realm of your responsibility towards
• 1:42:44
  your employees, towards the craft, towards the union and
• 1:42:51
  each person? In the craft union or not?
• 1:42:55
  Because remember what they do to one of you.
• 1:42:58
  They do to all of us. Who's paying or not?
• 1:43:02
  So we are. Going to wrap this up.
• 1:43:04
  For this evening. And it says a long.
• 1:43:06
  One guys, I hope you appreciate it and we will.
• 1:43:12
  On another future episode, we will answer the questions we
• 1:43:15
  didn't get to tonight. We will also I will leave the
• 1:43:19
  Google forms up for those of you that have other questions that
• 1:43:23
  want to ask. Please feel free to put your
• 1:43:27
  questions on that form. We will get to them in a future
• 1:43:31
  episode. We still have until August
• 1:43:35
  before National Convention, so we've got plenty of time to
• 1:43:39
  answer all your questions. So anybody else have anything
• 1:43:44
  else they want to say tonight or are we going to just go ahead
• 1:43:47
  and end it now? Are we getting paid overtime on
• 1:43:51
  this one? No, sorry.
• 1:43:53
  Yeah. I thought about triple.
• 1:43:57
  Time. But you know, I don't think we
• 1:43:58
  can. That's quite not in the.
• 1:44:00
  Budget. It's not in a holiday either.
• 1:44:03
  Yeah, I think. I think.
• 1:44:04
  We should just do our closing quotes and.
• 1:44:07
  Walk away. All right.
• 1:44:09
  Go for it, James. Josh first.
• 1:44:13
  Oh yeah. Go for.
• 1:44:14
  It Josh, I'm going to say from what it.
• 1:44:22
  What? I think I've heard the weather.
• 1:44:24
  Is actually starting. To settle down a little bit
• 1:44:28
  across the country. Not in California.
• 1:44:33
  Or Colorado. Or do they count?
• 1:44:39
  Yes, they do. Yep.
• 1:44:45
  Most definitely, Chris. Be safe out.
• 1:44:49
  There. Be vigilant.
• 1:44:53
  Don't get overwhelmed. If you do, take a step back,
• 1:44:56
  take a deep breath and step back in.
• 1:44:59
  Have a good week. We'll see you next time.
• 1:45:06
  James Well, it's very hard to. Run for any office.
• 1:45:14
  But we have the passion, the desire and the knowledge of a
• 1:45:20
  lot of things between all of us to make this happen.
• 1:45:25
  And the reason why we're all doing this is for the craft,
• 1:45:30
  because we're all in this together, Bill.
• 1:45:35
  Well, this has been fun. I enjoyed it immensely.
• 1:45:42
  All I can say is. Is that to reiterate the the?
• 1:45:45
  Fact that we're doing this for the craft and and you don't
• 1:45:49
  believe that, then then why do we waste our time doing this
• 1:45:53
  every Sunday? Why?
• 1:45:54
  Why are we on the social media platforms through the course of
• 1:45:58
  the week? Why are we going to conventions
• 1:46:00
  promote our agenda in regards to educating, promoting and
• 1:46:04
  protecting the craft? I mean, James Last year self
• 1:46:11
  nominated, walked walked the caucus floors by himself.
• 1:46:15
  Plenty of votes for a first timer doing it off the cuff, and
• 1:46:20
  some people would be embarrassed or humiliated.
• 1:46:22
  For that. I'll tell you what that that
• 1:46:25
  made me so proud that you know, he had the cojones to stand up
• 1:46:31
  to the people who have been established their positions on
• 1:46:35
  the national board and say, you know, we can do better and
• 1:46:40
  ladies and gentlemen, we can do better.
• 1:46:43
  All three of us, as you know, a force on the National board
• 1:46:49
  would be able to change the direction of this craft for the
• 1:46:52
  better and it would start with the National steward system.
• 1:46:57
  And James is the head of that. It would start with Kristen.
• 1:47:02
  The Academy's up and running and training with the proper
• 1:47:05
  equipment, with proper literature, with the the proper
• 1:47:08
  education materials and the follow up to make sure that
• 1:47:12
  these Rcas are being trained correctly in the office.
• 1:47:16
  That, you know, they're they're getting the compensation they're
• 1:47:19
  entitled to that they're getting focused attention on performing
• 1:47:24
  their duties, not being, you know, split off the run parcels
• 1:47:29
  for an open route, which they can contractually do.
• 1:47:33
  But I. Digress, we're doing this for
• 1:47:39
  100,000 reasons and. I'm proud of what I do.
• 1:47:46
  For a living. And I'm I'm not proud.
• 1:47:51
  Who I work for. And and that that's a conundrum.
• 1:47:56
  Because of the fact that. United States Postal Service
• 1:47:59
  used to be a desired job. The mail carriers used to wear
• 1:48:03
  ties and caps, and they were looked upon with respect.
• 1:48:10
  Not anymore, ladies and gentlemen.
• 1:48:13
  And it's time to get that. Respect back and it starts with
• 1:48:16
  the three of us and it starts with you as delegates attending
• 1:48:21
  the National Convention and voting.
• 1:48:23
  New. Leadership onto the National
• 1:48:25
  Board. Can't do it without you.
• 1:48:29
  We couldn't do this podcast without you.
• 1:48:32
  But please step up, speak out, be heard and vote.
• 1:48:40
  God bless you all. Be safe this week.
• 1:48:42
  Coming week, The weather. Is settling down in most of the
• 1:48:45
  country. And remember, you're the most
• 1:48:48
  important delivery of the day. Get home to your loved ones, OK?
• 1:48:51
  God bless you. Thank you, gentlemen.
• 1:48:55
  It has definitely been a. Night, I will say.
• 1:48:57
  That, and I just try reiterate what everybody has said.
• 1:49:02
  You know, don't get stressed, 'cause it.
• 1:49:06
  File, file, file. As Bill always says, get home
• 1:49:08
  safe to your loved ones. Everybody have a good week and
• 1:49:13
  we will be back next Sunday night.
• 1:49:29
  Are we getting paid? Overtime on this one?
• 1:49:32
  No, sorry. Yeah.
• 1:49:35
  I thought about triple. Time.
• 1:49:36
  But you know, I don't think we can.
• 1:49:38
  That's quite not in the. Budget.
• 1:49:40
  Yeah. It's not in a holiday either,
• 1:49:42
  yeah.